So, to be completely honest - my skin is not what it used to be...
For the last 4 weeks I've been more prone to breakouts and blackheads and I've decided that enough is enough. Be it hormones, dehydration due to seasonal changes, my lack of exercise or too much coffee - I intend to identify and rectify the problem.
My plan of action (and I hope that if you have a similar problem, that you will find these tips helpful too) :
Step 1: get a head start
I've booked a Dermalogica Deep Cleanse facial (R 350) for 8am Monday morning.
My salon of choice is Chianti Health & Skincare Institute @ 353 Elizabeth Grove. In Lynnwood, Pretoria East.
Elrita and Nanzi are professionals when it comes to your skin and they know their products well. This facial should give me the head start I need by removing all the breakout causing build-up from my pores.
For the last 4 weeks I've been more prone to breakouts and blackheads and I've decided that enough is enough. Be it hormones, dehydration due to seasonal changes, my lack of exercise or too much coffee - I intend to identify and rectify the problem.
My plan of action (and I hope that if you have a similar problem, that you will find these tips helpful too) :
Step 1: get a head start
I've booked a Dermalogica Deep Cleanse facial (R 350) for 8am Monday morning.
My salon of choice is Chianti Health & Skincare Institute @ 353 Elizabeth Grove. In Lynnwood, Pretoria East.
Elrita and Nanzi are professionals when it comes to your skin and they know their products well. This facial should give me the head start I need by removing all the breakout causing build-up from my pores.
Step 2: you are what you eat
As this step has endless possibilities and options to follow, I'll name only a few tips that I feel, WILL make the biggest difference over the next 4 weeks. Healthy eating habits are usually at the order of my days, but to be extra careful of what I put into my mouth now, may make the biggest difference of all.
a) drink at least 1.5 to 2l of water every day - starting today.
The good old 8 glasses. Lets go!
b) cut down my coffee intake from 5 cups to 1/ 2 cups per day only.
This will be the hardest challenge of all for me. But worth a try. Busy on my last cup for today. From tomorrow, I'm cutting down severely!c) eliminate all "bad skin foods" from my diet.
No sugar or artificial sweeteners : replacing with Stevia drops or tablets.
No chocolate, pastries or bread.
No fruit juices or fizzy drinks. Other than just water, I'm opting for a can of Tab (not more than 2 cans a week) or sparkling mineral water (not flavoured)
d) add "good skin foods" to my diet.
The ideal will be to add hemp oil - but as it goes rancid very quickly I'll opt for Cod Liver and/or Krill oil, which are good essential fatty acid-options too.
Coconut oil to replace all other cooking oils, including olive oil, even over salads. Add's great taste to your food and it restores elasticity and improves circulation in the skin by promoting the conversion of cholesterol to pregnenolone.
Add raw cacao to my diet. It is rich in anti-oxidants and can protect naturally from sun damage and prevent discolorations. I recommend adding the cacao to milk and sweetening with Stevia or eating a piece of Lindt 85% dark chocolate daily - this will curb the chocolate cravings too.
e) supplementation
Taking a good supplement to aid my skin's well-being is now top priority for me. I looked for something containing Zinc - which I know is essential in the healing of acne scarring as well as keeping skin, hair and nail cells healthy and strong - and came across this product by Solal Technologies - Acne Clear
Step 3: focus on routine
I've always had a good skincare routine and I recently added a few steps when I changed from RegimA, back to Dermalogica. I like both these ranges, for different reasons. Here's what I currently use:
(More about the products will be posted in the "Beauty" section soon. All prices are from Chianti Health & Skin Institute - email me for their number)
MORNING
-Cleanse with Dermalogica Special Clensing Gel (R 370)
-Dry face with kitchen towels / toilet paper - towels and washcloths are a bacteria breeding ground :(
-Spritz face and neck with Dermalogica Multi-Active Toner (R 395)
-Put on some Dermalogica Skin Hydrating Booster (R 710) - I need this as my skin is quite dehydrated after the long, cold Winter we had this year, causing much of my breakouts.
-Moisturize with Dermalogica Active Moist (R 465/ R 675 depending on the product size)
-Apply eye treatment, Dermalogica Multi Vitamin Power Firm (R 585)
-Cover with Ultra Sensitive Face Bloack SPF 25 (R 345). This tinted sunblock is one of my favorite products from Dermalogica. "The last step in skincare = the first step in make-up"
NIGHT
-I like to pre-cleanse with Dermalogica's Precleanse (R 385) This oil based product dissolves surface build-up and make-up so that your cleanser can do its job better.
-Cleanse with Dermalogica Special Clensing Gel
-Dry face with kitchen towels or toilet paper
-Apply Bedtime for Breakouts from the Dermalogica Clean Start range (R 320)
-Apply eye treatment.
Step 4: maintain the cleanliness
-2x per week exfoliate with Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant (R 695)
-2x per week masque with Dermalogica Skin Hydrating Masque (R 480) until the moisture in my skin is restored and then masque with Multi Vitamin Recovery Masque (R 560) which is a good anti-aging treatment.
-2x per week I use my Galvanic Spa II from Nuskin(contact me for more details on this product: IT'S GREAT!!!)
-regular exercise (at least 3 times a week, but I would prefer to gym on a daily basis)
-2x per week a steam bath/ sauna
-2x per week buff my entire body with a loofah or rough sponge. Annique has a great sponge for this.
All of this = my plan to overall better looking, healthy and glowing skin.
You can expect to read posts in the course of the next few weeks of how I'm doing so far!
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